Aftermath Valley of Darkness
by ALC Punk
Summary: Kat and Hot Dog discuss their actions in Valley of Darkness.


Disclaimer: Not mine. Rating: 18+ er, naked people, talk of sex.  
Genre: gen, mostly. Angst. Humor. Episode insert: Valley of Darkness Pairings: if you squintKat/Apollo, Kat/Hot Dog, Kat/Apollo/Hot Dog Spoilers: Everything up through Valley.  
Length: 1,100+ Notes: There is no porn in this, generally. Sorry, Ysrith. I tried. I think I can trip them up later, though. 

**Aftermath **  
by ALC Punk!

"We frakked up." Kat throws her towel at the wall.

"Yeah?"

Hot Dog is subdued. She's not used to seeing him like this. He was bouncy (they were all bouncy, high from the battle and then Flyboy was dead, his blood spraying them all). She throws her shirt at the bench, not caring that it misses and falls into the puddle of water left by the marines that showered before.

"They got on-board. The Captain was right, we--"

"He's always right?" Hot Dog sounds almost scornful now, "Captain Lee Frakkin' Adama is always right?"

"Yes!"

"Frak that." His boots thud against the wall.

"A good pilot is dead because--"

"Because we were celebrating." And now he's not subdued, now he's angry. "And what's wrong with that, Kat? We won, we kicked their asses, and we found the frakkin' fleet again."

"We weren't being careful."

"We're on a battlestar!"

She yanks her pants off, trying to make sense of things. "We should have been more aware of our surroundings. The power was out, we--"

"We can't plan for everything, Kat."

They both freeze to find Captain Adama leaning against the wall. He must have still been in the showers when they got in. His hair is dripping, and the blood is gone from his skin. There are bruises on his chest and arms, scrapes, a burn or two. And Kat can't help but stare for a moment, appreciating the chiseled outlines of his body before reality returns and she looks away.

Hot Dog makes an awkward shrug and grabs a bar of soap before heading past the captain and into the showers.

"You both did good." And it's Apollo who seems awkward.

Kat isn't sure if she should be proud at cowering and running like a scared child at the first sign of the Cylons. "Sir." She doesn't want to thank him.

"We all ran. We all panicked, Kat."

"You didn't."

"I did." He looks down, shrugs, "We're pilots, not marines, Kat."

"I know, sir." Kat feels suddenly strange to be talking to her commanding officer while they're both naked. He's clean, she isn't. "I should shower, sir."

"Yeah." Pushing away from the wall, he glances at her, gaze traveling her length before he flushes as he realizes he's staring.

It's not quite second nature yet, to be naked in front of anyone, and she blushes. The silence has an odd quality now, like they're trapped in crystal. She wants to say something, and can't think of anything that doesn't sound stupid or trite.

"Hey!" Hot Dog sticks his head around the door. "Are you coming, or not?"

The moment disappears, and Kat lets out a soft sigh.

"I should get back to my cell." The captain makes a face, and heads for the bench and his own discarded clothing.

"Take care, sir." It seems inadequate, but it's all she has.

He laughs, the sound strange. "You too, Kat."

"Sir." She stops at the door, and looks back at him. "Your father will get better."

"Yeah." There's something muffled about his voice.

She attributes it to the shirts he's pulling over his head. "He's one of the strongest people I know, sir. Even when--when I was a civilian, I thought, 'there's nothing we can't survive, if Commander Adama's around'. And I still think that, sir."

"I'm glad someone believes it." And now his voice is short.

"Sir..."

"Forget it, Kat." He glances at her, and can't smile.

"You lost faith in him a long time ago."

"Very astute, lieutenant."

Now she's tried to get too close. She moves back a step, unsure again. "He never lost faith in you."

"I think me holding a gun on his XO took any faith he had away."

Kat thinks her mother would have been proud of the way she hasn't given up and turned into a little mouse. Hiding in the corner was something she'd used, once upon a time. But the world is different now, and there's no time or place for being too scared to do anything. "In time, sir--"

"He doesn't have time."

"Yes he does."

The absolute conviction in her voice makes him stare at her. Then he laughs again, "Oh, for the days of blind faith."

"It's not blind, sir."

"Isn't it?" His gaze is challenging.

"Hey, Kat, you're going to lose your chance to get clean!"

"Go get clean, lieutenant."

"Yes, sir."

Hot Dog looks up at her as she flips on a shower of her own. "Talking about sex?"

"You're such an ass."

"Crash isn't here, someone has to fill his shoes."

Kat throws a handful of water at him, and smiles. "Yeah, well, I'll tell him how much you missed him."

"You missed him more."

"Did not."

"Did too."

She's laughing, then, surprised at the sound as it bounces off the walls. "Shut up, Constanza." She works soap into her hair, scratching at her scalp.

"Make me."

Kat looks across at him, surprised to find that he's staring at her appreciatively. "I think not. Remember what God said, Hot Dog?"

"God said a lot of things."

She smirks, "Never frak your wing man."

"I'll get reassigned."

"Nah." She turns back and lets the water wash the soap out of her hair.

"Well, damn."

"Besides, isn't there a comms tech giving you the eye?"

"No idea what you're talking about."

"Little blonde girl, sat in on last week's card game." She glances over at him and is surprised to see him blushing. "Didn't work out, hrm?"

"Well..."

"You didn't ask her."

Hot Dog shrugs, "Can't ask her to frak a man who could die in a day."

She laughs, "You're an idiot, Hot Dog. Don't you know that's the best time to ask a girl for sex?"

"When you're about to die?"

"Yeah." Turning back, she grabs the soap and begins soaping herself. "Now, finish your shower, get dressed, and go ask her."

"Yes, mom."

Kat throws the soap at him, hitting him in the shoulder.

"Ow!"

"Wimp."

"Shrew."

"Idiot."

He sticks his tongue out at her, then tries to talk with it still waggling. The sounds that come out are unintelligible.

"Put your tongue back in your mouth and talk like a human, dipshit."

Hot Dog grabs the soap and throws it at her.

It misses her by a mile and she snickers. "Give it up, Hot Dog."

"Fine." He shuts off his shower and shakes his head, spraying water. "Catch you later?"

"You betcha."

When he's gone, Kat goes over and picks up the bar of soap he threw. Setting it back in the dish it occurs to her to wonder how much longer the soap will last before it all runs out. A shiver runs through her, and then she stops thinking about that. There are better things to think of--like whether she can sweet-talk Specialist Grayson into a little tryst in the tool room or not.

A smirk tugs at her lips. Maybe he'll be convinced when she points out they could all die soon.

-f-


End file.
